It’s no joke: Across globe, satire morphs into misinformation

Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram say they reduce the circulation, visibility – and potential for profit – of links that are labelled misinformation. But some websites peddling misinformation skirt the barrier by labelling their content satire, researchers say. — AP

WASHINGTON: Is a US state considering a tax on breathing? Is celebrating goals forbidden during the Qatar World Cup because that is “too gay”? Did insect repellent manufacturers recruit a Ugandan man for his mosquito-killing farts?

Satire, parody and jokes packed with absurdity typically draw laughter, but around the world they are too often mistaken as real, prompting fact-checkers to debunk what they call a leading source of misinformation despite pushback from their publishers.